Who organises a survey when buying a house?

The survey is usually organised by the buyer. The seller can also get a house survey, although this is less common.

Should I pay for a house survey?

Many first time buyers question whether the cost of a house survey is worth it, especially as it isn't mandatory like the mortgage valuation and conveyancing solicitors. The answer is to look at what the costs of not getting a survey are. RICS released data that confirmed HomeBuyers pay on average £5,750 in repairs after they move into a property, so with the average cost of a home buyers survey being £400 excluding VAT it would make sense to spend the money getting a house survey. The HomeBuyer Report will look to identify visible defects that affect the property’s value. Below is a comparison of what is included in the HomeBuyer Report and the Building Survey:

What can you do if you don't get a survey?

While a home buyer survey is not mandatory, if you choose to not get a survey then here are some tips to limit your exposure to future defects: Local Authority Search - if you are getting a mortgage then you'll have to get this conveyancing search. Within it, the council records will confirm if there have been any authorised structural changes to the property, such as an extension, fitting electric wiring to the shed or removal of a load bearing wall. If you've spotted that there is a change to the property that should be listed at the council, then you should get a home survey to get a surveyor's opinion and ask your solicitor to investigate further. Check warranties and guarantees - some works come with a protective guarantee. TA6 Property Information Forms - the seller has an obligation to inform you of changes to the property in this form so check this and see if there are any irregularities.

Why does it cost more to survey an expensive property?

The risk to the surveyor increases, the higher the property's value is. The professional indemnity insurance that the surveyor must have increases based on the number of high value properties they work on and the price of the insurance is in the region of thousands of pounds and sometimes as much as tens of thousands.

Are the survey fees for buying a house more expensive than a flat?

The house survey price depends on the size of a property and its value and more often than not a house will be larger in size than a flat. A flat won't always have a roof (a ground floor flat doesn't get the roof inspected in the block of flats) to inspect or a loft or other areas that you would get access to in a house. A survey on a freehold house will normally cost more than a flat, although the difference shouldn't be that great. What can also increase the price of a survey on a house is if the house has been extended. It is highly unlikely a flat will have been extended because of the nature of the building - in a block of flats you can't extend any individual flat. An extension complicates a survey as the original fabric of the property has been structurally changed requiring investigation to see if the house has been affected in any adverse way. This increases the time the surveyor needs to spend on site and is reflected within the survey price. If you are buying a flat, see 5 reasons you MUST get a home buyers survey for your flat.

Is the Building Survey Cost more expensive on a Victorian house versus a standard construction house?

Victorian houses are built from different materials than a modern day standard construction house. An example of this is that double glazing was not invented back in Victorian times. The extra time it takes to inspect a Victorian property means that the Building Survey Cost will be more than for a standard construction house. If you're buying a Victorian house, you can read more about surveying it in our article - Victorian Building Survey.

How can you save money on the home buyer survey costs?

As we've explained about, the home buyer survey costs increase when there is a larger, more expensive or run down property. So how can you save money by reducing the survey cost? Here are just some of things you can do: Exclude a valuation - a HomeBuyer Report most often comes with a valuation and reinstatement value. While it is of huge value, this information is provided by another source already; your mortgage lender. If you are getting a mortgage the mortgage lender requires you to get a mortgage valuation which values the property and includes a reinstatement value. Because you already get a valuation from your mortgage lender, you can choose to not get a valuation with the report - which will be surplus in effect -and save in the region of 5 to 10% of the survey cost. HomeBuyer Report instead of a Building Survey - a Building Survey costs more than a HomeBuyer Report and there are occasions where a property could suit a HomeBuyer Report, but you may want to get the Building Survey. You can save money by choosing to get a HomeBuyer Report and the difference in cost would be in the region of £150 or more. Click here to see if your property needs a Homebuyer Report or Building Survey

How much does a house survey cost from SAM Conveyancing

A house survey is essential, as it can reveal hidden problems with the property. We can give you a fixed quote, so you know what to expect.

Our experienced RICS Building Surveyors are local to your property and we cover the whole of England and Wales.

House Survey Cost

by:

Andrew Boast

Created on:

12/03/2020

(Last Updated: 12/03/2020)

Read by:

939

8 min read

Key Takeaways

House Survey cost ranges from £450 to £600 INC VAT, depending on survey type.
Prices vary depending on property size, age, price or location.
Flats are cheaper to survey than houses, because of size and lack of extra additions, such as extensions or even roof (if the flat is located on the ground floor, for example)

What are the 3 types of house survey?

The following is a guide about how much does a house survey cost for the 3 main surveys you can get whilst buying a property which are:

Building Survey Cost

HomeBuyers Survey Cost

Structural Survey Cost

The house survey cost will vary and we will explain why and what to look for when choosing your surveyor because the cost is one thing, but experience, local knowledge and availability are equally if not more important.

How much should I expect to pay for a house survey?

How much does a building survey cost?

This type of survey is known by many different names so when we get asked for how much a full structural survey is or how much does a full house survey cost, then it relates to what the RICS have now called the Level 3 RICS Building Survey.

What is included in a full house survey?

The RICS Building Survey is the most comprehensive report of its kind and should be used for larger or older properties, or when planning major works. The report provides an in-depth analysis of the property's condition and includes advice on defects, repairs and maintenance options.

The cost of a building survey from a RICS qualified building surveyor starts from £600 upward and the final quote will depend on the size, age and value of the property.

How much is a homebuyers survey?

You can get a RICS Level 2 HomeBuyers Report with or without a valuation.

The objective of the report is to confirm if you are buying the property for the correct economic value considering the property's condition. However, it is not suitable for certain types of property.

The cost of a Level 2: HomeBuyer Report starts from £450 INC VAT, however, it'll depend on the size, property price and location.

If you're unsure which survey to get on your property, we further discuss the difference between the two in our article - What Is The Difference Between Level 2 and Level 3 Survey?

Structural Survey Cost

A structural survey is undertaken by a structural engineer: these specialists undertake different work from a RICS building surveyor.

They are qualified to provide detailed knowledge into the structure of the property and their work includes:

Inspection for chimney breast removal (including a report to your mortgage lender)
Inspection for subsidence (including a report to your mortgage lender)
Inspection for load bearing wall (including a report to your mortgage lender)

Whilst structural engineers can offer a GSI (General Structural Inspection), the most common structural survey is a SSI (specific Structural Survey).

The reason you need this survey is because your mortgage lender has flagged there is a structural defect with the property, so they won't agree to lend you the money until a structural engineer's report has been undertaken.

The cost of a structural survey starts from £599 INC VAT, but will depend on the size of the property and the severity of the issues. If there is a defect you are most likely going to pay the cost of further investigatory works.

SAM Conveyancing provides survey and conveyancing services throughout England and Wales. We have local RICS surveyors near you to undertake HomeBuyer Reports and Building Surveys to make sure you are buying a property that doesn't have any hidden defects.

Our surveyors have a depth off knowledge surpassing our rivals ranging from 10 to 40 years! We tailor our quotes to the actual property you are buying which means we can often save you some money!

Get an instant online house survey quote or call and speak to one of our survey specialists on 0333 344 3234 (local call charges apply) and we can give you a tailored house survey cost today.

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Frequently Asked Questions

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Written by: Andrew Boast

Andrew started his career in 2000 working within conveyancing solicitor firms and grew hands on knowledge of a wide variety of conveyancing challenges and solutions. After helping in excess of 50,000 clients in his career, he uses all this experience within his article writing for SAM, mainstream media and his self published book How to Buy a House Without Killing Anyone.

Reviewed by: Caragh Bailey

Caragh is an excellent writer in her own right as well as an accomplished copy editor for both fiction and non-fiction books, news articles and editorials. She has written extensively for SAM for a variety of conveyancing, survey and mortgage related articles.

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